California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) pardoned a Pulitzer Prize finalist who spent more than two decades imprisoned at San Quentin on Wednesday.
Earlonne Woods gained recognition from Newsom after creating “Ear Hustle,” the first podcast ever recorded and produced entirely behind bars.
“Ear Hustle,” which airs on Apple podcasts, Spotify and other streaming platforms, has more than 80 million downloads and listeners from across the country.
Newsom said Woods’s success “has provided evidence that he is living an upright life” and further acknowledged “the work he has done to transform himself” in an announcement.
Woods was one of 19 Thanksgiving eve pardons by Newsom.
At 17 years old, he was first sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1989 for a Los Angeles burglary and kidnapping of a drug dealer. He was convicted to 31 years to life after being charged with assault and attempted robbery a decade later.
The state’s former Gov. Jerry Brown, commuted Woods’ prison sentence in November of 2018 stating that Woods has “clearly shown that he is no longer the man he was when he committed this crime” and “has set a positive example for his peers and, through his podcast,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Woods said the new pardon would help him move forward productively and free of societal stigmas.
“Many of us who have transformed our mindsets and lives and who are working to help others, continue to encounter negative stigma and barriers based on things associated with our past,” Woods said in a statement.
“This type of thinking can prevent someone from getting a job or traveling freely. This pardon eliminates those judgments on me, and makes it easier for me to do more effective work in the community.”
His next steps including working with actor Morgan Freeman’s entertainment company on a docuseries, according to Deadline.
